However, congress offers the party members the distinct opportunity to rebuild their organisation which was plunged into a crisis by the current leadership. This congress comes at time when the fortunes of the organisation were dealt a body blow by an incompetent, obstinate and yet blundering leadership which split the party into warring factions and severely battered its image in the eyes of the general public. It is critically important to outline some of the serious challenges facing the BNF. Far be it from our thoughts to seek to rekindle the debate we had with the Central Committee for the last two years. We must nevertheless sum up the main reasons for the sorry state of affairs in which the party finds itself, not least because we must refresh the memories of the readers and put our proposals in proper perspective.
To say that the hearts of BNF members and well-wishers are bleeding, as a result of the disastrous performance of their party in the 2009 general elections, is a serious understatement. The BNF has been wiped out from its traditional stronghold of Gaborone thanks to the most destructive, short-sighted and illegitimate central committee the party has ever had . Its late founder members who worked tirelessly and achieved so much only to have the fruits of their blood, sweat and tears undone by a bunch of unrepentant and misguided central committee leaders must be turning in their graves. The party finds itself with only one councilor in all five Gaborone constituencies. Nationally we came within a whisker losing our status as the main opposition to the BCP. Our arch rivals and enemies of the working classes, the BDP have been allowed back in on a silver plate thanks to the betrayal of the struggle by Moupo's treacherous leadership.
